About

Irish American baritone Emmett O’Hanlon’s 2025 – 2026 season includes his house debut as Schaunard in La Bohème conducted by Lina González-Granados, as well as a return to the Metropolitan Opera to cover Kavalier in the new opening night production of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. Mr. O’Hanlon will also make his role debut as Emile de Becque in Roger and Hammerstein’s South Pacific, marking his return to the Paramount Theater.

The 2024-2025 season saw Mr. O’Hanlon return to his acclaimed portrayal of the title role in Der Kaiser von Atlantis with both the New World Symphony in a new production by Yuval Sharon, and also with the Louisville Orchestra conducted by music director Teddy Abrams. He also joined the Metropolitan Opera in their house debut of Antony and Cleopatra where he covered the role of Agrippa, and made his house and role debut with the Barrington Stage Company as Lancelot in Lerner and Loewe’s Camelot.

Operatic highlights include Mr. O’Hanlon’s role debuts as the title role in Don Giovanni, Count in Le nozze di Figaro, Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia the role of Kaiser Overall in a new production of Viktor Ullmann’s Der Kaiser von Atlantis, Silvio in Pagliacci, Pierrot in a new production of Die Tote Stadt, and Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette at Deutsche Oper am Rhein, his role debut as Malatesta in Don Pasquale with the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival, his role debut as Silvio in Pagliacci with Opera San Jose, and Maximillian in Bernstein’s Candide with Des Moines Metro Opera. Mr. O’Hanlon also made his house debut with Austin Opera as Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia, his role debut as Gaston in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast at the Paramount Theater. Highlights at Lyric Opera of Chicago include The Second Priest in Die Zauberflöte, Wagner in a new production of Faust, and Dancaīre in Carmen, where he also covered the roles of Valentin in Faust, Guglielmo in Così fan tutte, Marullo in Rigoletto, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte and Captain in Yevgeny Onegin. Additional operatic highlights include his debut at Des Moines Metro Opera in a new production of Britten’s Billy Budd singing The Novice’s Friend and covering the title role, as well as covering the title role in Yevgeny Onegin, singing Bartley in Vaughn Williams’ Riders to the Sea, The Traveller in Britten’s Curlew River at the Juilliard School, and the Soldier in a workshop of Scott Wheeler’s The Sorrows of Frederick the Great in partnership with the Metropolitan Opera.

Concert work includes his debut with the New World Symphony for Unanswered Questions: A Leonard Bernstein Journey, conducted by Edwin Outwater, a concert with the New York Philharmonic celebrating the works of Stephen Sondheim presented by Bravo! Vail Festival, ans a holiday concert with the South Bend Symphony. Recital appearances include being presented by Opera Birmingham at Brock Recital Hall at Samford University, and with Sun Valley Opera.

In addition to his operatic and concert career, Mr. O’Hanlon joined the group Celtic Thunder in 2014, as a featured artist. Highlights of his time with the group include appearances on the 2014 Celtic Cruise, the 2014 Christmas Symphony Tour, and the 2015 Very Best of Tour. He is also featured on both the DVD and CD of Legacy Vol I & II, as well as the re-release of their albums Heartland, The Show, Take Me Home, Heritage, and Voyage I & II.

Honors and awards include being named a finalist in the 2017 Operalia competition, a finalist in the south regional finals of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, 2nd place in the Verismo Opera competition, 3rd place in the Gerda Lissner Foundation competition, and an encouragement award from the Opera Index competition.

Mr. O’Hanlon holds a Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School of Music and a Bachelor of Music degree from University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Additional training includes participation as a Bel Canto young artist at Caramoor Opera, studies at La Musica Lirica in Novafeltria, Italy, a summer with Oberlin in Italy, and the “Julliard in Paris” project, sponsored by the Edmond de Rothschild Foundation.

Events

Watch

Praise